People commonly travel the world over to see rivers and mountains, new stars, garish birds, freak fish, grotesque breeds of human;

they fall into an animal stupor that gapes at existence and think

that they have seen something.

However, Tagore disagrees and affirms that:

The traveler has to knock at every alien door to come to his own,

and he has to wonder through all the outer worlds

to reach the innermost shrine at the end.

Who is right, Kierkegaard or Tagore?

BOTH.

How so?

Kierkegaard is talking of those at the beginning of the Path, while Tagore speaks of the seekers who at a certain stage of their evolution need to explore various doors in order to find their own Path.

On the other hand, as we do absorb the way of thinking, fears, prejudices and thought formations of those around us, the mental atmosphere of the culture we are born in or of the country where we live,

leaving all this awhile gives one a chance to become more

in contact with our inner being.

Interested?

Lin Yutang goes very deep into the issue, and what he said would make a very good Zen Ko’han:

A good traveler is one who does not know where he is going to,

and a perfect traveler does not know

where he came from.

How good a traveler are you?

Do you really know where you are going to?

What about where you came from?

Actually,

a perfect traveler knows that he comes from the Divine

and is going to Him,

but Lin Yutang meant that a perfect traveler has no mental constructions about where he is going, and know that he does not really come from his parents or the birthplace of his body.

If you are sincere, you need not go around. You are yourself everywhere

and create your own environment. Moving around

will not give you the salvation.

You are not the body and carrying it everywhere is useless.

You mind if free to vagabond in the three worlds –

use it fully.

Are you using it fully?

If not, why not?

Contemplate:

– These words of Mère:

Those who live for Thee and in Thee may change their physical surroundings, their habits, climate, “milieu”, but everywhere they ﬁnd the same atmosphere;

they carry that atmosphere in themselves, in their thought constantly ﬁxed on Thee. Everywhere they feel at home, for everywhere

they are in Thy house.

No longer do they marvel at the novelty, unexpectedness, picturesqueness of things and countries; for them, it is Thy Presence that is manifest in all and Thy unchangeable splendor, which never leaves them, is apparent in the least grain of sand. The whole earth chants Thy praises;

in spite of the obscurity, misery, ignorance, through it all, it is still